Automobile-drive.



H. H. KENNEDY. AUTOMOBILE DRIVE.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 28, 1909.

fitented M11221, 1914,

2 EHEETBfSEEET 1.

\Ill'l I INVIENYTOR.

Hgrro LoLH .kenney A TTORNEYI H. H. KENNEDY.

AUTOMOBILE DRIVE. APPLICATION FILED $1111.28, 1909.

L0933L Patnted Apr. 21, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

Fig.3.

WITNESSES: LVVE NTOR.

A TTORNEK.

or shaft driving the traction wheels, and

...lo all momma 10mm:

UNITED STATES. 1?A1ENT. OFFICE.

naao zn '11. KENNEDY, or, tmmanaron s. INDIANA, assienoa ro 'WAVEB'LEY eomijany, i or mnmavaroim sgr'nnmna, A coarona'rlon.

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Be it known that I," HARO D H.

of Indianapolis, ,county ofT'Marion, and State of" Indiana, have invent'eda certam' new and useful Automobile-Drive and I do hereby declare thatthe-jfollowingz is a full,

clear, and exact descriptionthereof, refer.- ence being had to the accompanying draw ings, in which like lettersrefer tolllre parts.

The object of this invention: is to improve the construction of ,motorxvehicles, particu; larly with reference to the rear-drive mechianism. a

One feature of the invention consists in mounting the motor atone side of the axle providing a driving connection between the two, whereby the effectual- .transmission of power will not be interfered with by the ver tical play or movements of either the motor or' the wheel-driving axle. Th s particular object is accomplished byprovlding an 1ntermediate pair of gears, one dr1ven by the motor and the otherdrivinga gear on the axle or shaft, power being transmitted between said intermediate ggears by a shaft connected at each end by afiumversal JOlIlt.

The full nature of the {invention will be understood fromthe accompanying drawings and the following dGSCI'IPtIOD and claims.

In thedrawin s Figure 1 is a plan view of the driving mec anism with thebody of the vehicle removed, 'partsin horizontal section and parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal se'ction'through the intermediate gear driven by the motor as shown in Fig. 1 at the right-hand end of the shaft driven by said gear, and the connection between said gear and shaft. Fig. 3 1s a rear elevation of an electric 1 vehicle equipped with said invention with the vehicle un-' loaded. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the motor, flexible shaft, gear case and axle, and' part ofthe body, with the body somewhat;

loaded, parts being broken away.

In detail, the carriage body, not'shown, is supported upon springs 12, which are mounted on a tubular casing 41 in which a 'sp cj fi n' or ma hunt. Patented Apr.'21, 1914. Application filed January as; 1909. Seria1No.474;808.

Poweris transmitted'to theaxle 4.0 by gear wheels. secured thereon, which. mesh withgealflwheels 43'secured'on the shaft 20 .ina gear', case 21; Power is transmitted to "gear-"4210 its shaft 22, mounted in the cas- *mg 12 3 and the intermediate shaft 45. The motorlfi andeasing 23 are secured to'the bottomiof body of the automobile, and,

: therefore, 'there'is relative vertical movement of sa d parts as o paredwith the wheels '17, axle 40 andgears 43 -and 44." The motor- 15' isin front-of, and, therefore, to one side of, the axle 40, and the construction is such that the-motor and axle 40may have their different relative vertical movements without many wise interfering with the transmission of 'power from one tothe other.

This; peculiar arrangement causes the gears 42 and 43 to have different vertical movements wlth relat on to eachother, and in order that the shaft 45 may transmit power from one tov the other without interference from said relative vertical-movement, it is at each endeoupled-with the shafts 20 and 22 by a yielding connection. To that end the right-hand'portion of the shaft 20 and the left-hand portion of the shaft 22' have enlarged hollow or tubular portions 48,,Wh-ich are provided witlil'ongitudinal slots 49, into which the transverse ends 1460f the shaft 45 project, so that rotary movement will be transmitted by said connection and 'yet" the ends of the shaft .45 may have longitudinal "play or movement relative to the enlarge- .ment 48 of 'the shafts 20 and 22. Spiral springs 46, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2,

are embedded in's uitable longitudinally extending recesses in the enlarged ends of the shafts 20 and 22 so asto. press against the ends of the shaft 45 and take up the longitudinal play thereof during the relative ver-- tical movements of the motor and the axle.- The rotary movement of the gear 42 is trans mitted to the .shaft 22 and thence to the shaft 45, and from it to the shaft, 20 and gears 43, as the T-shapedends of the shaft 45,

extending laterally through the enlarged ends 48 of the shafts20 and 22, cause trans mission of power. The shaft 22 is mounted in roller bearings 53., The tapering casing 50'surrounds each end of the shaft 45 and the adjacent portion of the enlarged ends 48 of the shafts 20 and 22. These casings 5O keep the dust from the mechanism. In

this construction of joint there is very little, if any, loss of power in. transmission, as

. there is very little, if any, torsional play hewheels, a dead axle supported on the same,

.tot

a vehicle body, springs for supporting the bod on the dead axle and rigidly secured to t e axle, a gear .case secured to the dead axle {so as to ,be held ,in fixed posit-ion relatively thereto and the springs, .a live axle within said dead axle for transmitting power to the wheels, a gear in said gear case and secured on said live axle for ro tating it, an intermediate gear in said gear case for driving said axle gear, a motor mounted in connection with the vehicle body and :at one side of the dead axle, a motor shaft and a flexibly and yieldingly mountedv shaft parallel with said motor 'shaft for transmitting power between said motor shaft and one of the gears in the gear case secured to the dead axle so that it will automatically adjust itself and operate regardless of any vertical play or movement of the vehicle bodyor the dead axle or both. I v

2. An automobile including traction wheels, a dead axleisupported on the same, a vehicle body, springs for supporting the 'bod on the dead axle and rigidly secured he axle, a gear case secured to the dead axle so as to be held in fixed position relative thereto and the" springs, a live axle within said dead axlefor transmitting power to the wheels, a gear in said gear case and secured on said live axle for ro-' tating it,,an intermediate gear in said gear case for driving said axle gear, a motor mounted in connection -with the vehicle bod and at one side of the dead axle, and a flexibly and yieldingly mounted shaft substantially parallel with said dead axle for transmitting power between said motor and one of the gears in the gear case secured to the dead axle so that it will automatically adjust itself and operate regardless of any vertical play or movement of the vehicle body or the dead axle or both.

automobile including traction wheels, a dead axle supported on the same, a vehicle body, springs for supporting the body on the deadaxle and rigidly secured to the axle, a gear case secured to the dead axle so as to be held' in fixed position relative thereto and the springs, a live axle within said dead axle for transmitting power to the wheels, a gear in said gear case and secured on said live axle forrotating it, an intermediate gear in said gear case for driving said axle gear, a motor mounted in connection with the vehicle body and at one side of the dead axle, a gear case secured to the body, gears in said case for transmitting power from the motor, and a flexibly mounted shaft substantially arallel with said dead axle for transmitting power between one of the gears in the gear case secured to the body of the vehicle and one of the gears in the gear case secured to the dead axle, said shaft being connected with said intermediate gears at each end by a universal jointand formed so as to permit the longitudinal movement of one end of said shaft. 4. In an automobile havin a frame and a driving axle, mechanism including live axle sections and a differential mechanism with a driving gear having its axis disposed' transversely of the frame, a motor suspended from said frame and having its shaft transversely disposed relative to the frame, driving shafting parallel with and located between the driving axle and the motor shaft and connected at one end to said differential drivin gear and extending along one side of said motor, a pair of bearings rotatably supporting said driving shafting near its other end, said bearings in turn being supported by the motor casing, and reduction gearing between the ad- ,Jacent ends of the motor shaft and driving shafting.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto afiixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

HAROLD H. KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

O. M. MCLAUGHLIN, W. M. GENTLE, 

